RIPE Labs graph looks at IPv6 ripeness rate of all countries in the RIPE NCC service region as measured in July 2010. (Click to Enlarge)As the unallocated IPv4 address pool runs out, are Internet Service Providers (ISPs) actually deploying IPv6?

This graph, the first in a series from RIPE Labs, looks at the IPv6 "ripeness" of all ISPs registered as RIPE NCC members. We created a rating system that gives ISPs up to four "stars" for IPv6 services that they provide, based on the following criteria:

• The ISP has an IPv6 allocation
• The address prefix is actually routed on the Internet
• A route6 object is registered in the RIPE Database
• Reverse DNS has been set up

The graph illustrates countries in the RIPE NCC service region (Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia) that have at least five ISPs; each one gets a rating ranging from zero stars to four stars. The graph indicates the level of IPv6 deployment in a specific country and in the region as a whole.

Some key findings show that:

• 27% of all ISPs in the RIPE NCC service region have at least one IPv6 allocation
• 8% have achieved four-star IPv6 ripeness
• Slovenia has the highest IPv6 deployment: 67% of all ISPs in Slovenia have at least one star and nearly 25% have four stars!

Slovenia is doing exceptionally well, undoubtedly due to a very active and persuasive IPv6 community. Of course, in a relative scoring system like this, smaller countries have a slight advantage. However, it's worth noting that the runners-up include larger economies such as Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany.

The bad news is that nearly 73% of all ISPs have not even requested IPv6 space yet (indicated by the white bars on the graph). It's surprising that so many ISPs have yet to feel the urgency to deliver their services on IPv6 to enable their business to grow, especially when only a little more than 6% of IPv4 address space remains.

The deployment rate of IPv6 is certainly lagging far behind what technical experts consider desirable, but there is clearly a positive trend. We will bring you more hard numbers on IPv6 deployment in this series.

What next?

We are considering extending our rating with a fifth star based on reachability over IPv6. We have several ideas, but we are curious to hear from you — what do you think is a good way to measure IPv6 reachability?